California bharal (New Pleistocene)
Notable amount of following information for the species is compiled by using information from the animaldiversity.org site. The link to the original species article is here. California bharal - (Pseudois americanus) - A species of caprid and is descended from Asian bharals that escaped from zoos or safari parks. It is a common herbivore throughout almost every tall mountains of California. It is similar to its ancestors. Biology and reproduction California bharal's coat displays a larger variety of brown and greyish-brown colors due to it's surroundings belonging to a completely different continent. Similarly to it's ancestor it's females have horns as well and both genders lack beards. C. bharals horns are recognizable due to their tendency to stretch horizontally the most. Their new habitat has also allowed some of their hair to grow a little longer. As with Asian bharals, the beginning of estrus (female reproduction period) begins somewhere along the winter season and lasts about a month. It's starting time is heavily influenced by the altitude since altitude directs the availability of food sources. Males are attracted by the females in estrus, otherwise they show little interest in them. When the young bharals are born the top of their head is notably thicker with fur due to containing the developing horns underneath. California bharal's retain long lifespan from their ancestors. Their age is determined from the rings on their horns. Behavior and ecology California bharals are gregarious (sociable) making quite large groups though their size also depends on habitat's condition, predator quantity and season. Herd composition changes due to members deciding whether to stay or part and join other populations. Competitive behaviors are seen between both males and females. Unlike A. bharal which aggresion can lead to more serious wounds, C. bharal competition are more formed of mock battles. C. bharals prefer different mountains climates whether windy, heated or cool, both will show notable aversion to entering lower biomes, being less adapted for them. Similarly to A.bharals they hang near crevices and cliffs using them as a convienient way to increase distance between themselves and the incoming predator like the Snow jaguar (Panthera alpinii) and Mountain cougar (Puma concolor alpinus). Evolution The ancestors of California bharals, the Asian bharals used to live in zoos or safari parks. They did get used to humans but since the interaction otherwise was minimal, the memories of humans eventually faded. Using their climbing skills and the fact that with gradual human disappearance, the zoo and safari park border defences grew weaker, Asian bharals eventually escaped more often. They would roam across the landscape seeking habitats with more and more higher altitudes and gradually would scope the surrounding for hills or mountains in the distance. The roaming period helped to increase the species tolerance for different climates. But as the newly formed California bharals had settled in the Californian mountains they largely abandoned the habitats surrounding the mountains, since those were less suitable for C. Bharals. Category:Animals Category:Ungulates Category:California Category:New Pleistocene Category:Bovids